Kazakh federation deny reports of name change, team kit to remain largely unchanged
Alberto Contador will remain with Astana in 2010. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The vice-president of the Kazakh cycling federation, Nikolai Proskurin, has denied widespread reports that Astana’s name will change to Samruk-Kazyna next season to reflect its new main sponsor. In a message on the astanafans.com website, Proskurin also added that the team’s team colours and kit will remain largely unchanged from this year’s.
According to Proskurin, confusion arose when Kazakh state holding company Samruk stepped in as the team’s primary sponsor. “There will be no change in the name, it will remain as Astana,” Proskurin confirmed. “Astana is the brand [we’re promoting] and Samruk is the sponsor.”
Astana’s familiar sky blue, yellow and white colours will be retained in 2010. The Astana name will take pride of place on the front and back of the team jersey and side panels of the shorts, while the Samruk-Kazyna logo will appear on the sleeves and sides of the jersey and the rear of the shorts.
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Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014).
